


That's Amore

by galaxyostars (orphan_account)



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Picard
Genre: valentines day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22744342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/galaxyostars
Summary: The man who owned the ship on which they lived and operated? He acted like he despised them. The holograms continued to go on their merry way, however, sans the disappointed EMH who had all but given up trying to vie for his creator’s attention.And Agnes accepted these reactions. She was handling the on and off presence of the holograms fairly well—until one of them booted seemingly at random and began to sing "That’s Amore" as loud as he could.
Relationships: Agnes Jurati & Cristóbal Rios
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	That's Amore

She was perfectly fine with being on a ship crewed primarily by holograms. Or, at least, it was _prior_ to her arrival with Jean-Luc Picard. Now Raffi takes the operations console whenever she can, almost as if she needed something to keep her hands busy on this trip. Rios had always piloted the _La Sirena_ even _without_ an organic crew—he was most comfortable in the captain’s chair.

But the other holograms? She’d admitted to herself, very quietly, when she was sure no one (not even the holograms) was listening… that they do freak her out, just a little.

Picard took to them as if they were comrades. Raffi liked to laugh with them. Elnor gave a quizzical rise of his eyebrow whenever one attempted to engage him in meaningful conversation. For the brief time Seven of Nine was aboard, she’d glanced the Emergency Medical Hologram up and down before outright ignoring its existence. These were all reactions Agnes could understand, especially given all these people had only met these holograms in the last month.

But Rios? The man who owned the ship on which they lived and operated? He acted like he despised them. The holograms continued to go on their merry way, however, sans the disappointed EMH who had all but given up trying to vie for his creator’s(?) attention.

And Agnes accepted these reactions. She was handling the on and off presence of the holograms fairly well—until one of them booted seemingly at random and began to sing _That’s Amore_ as loud as he could.

The Rios-but-not-quite-Rios voice sprung to life directly behind her, loud and slightly obnoxious tones startling her. She’d jumped so violently, the PADD she’d been holding had been inadvertently tossed into the air. The hologram waltzed himself across the room, ignorant of Agnes’ fright.

“ _What_ - _”_ Agnes stammered, trying to compose herself as she scrambled backwards on the couch, putting some distance between herself and the dancing hologram. She whacked the badge on her jacket. “ _Rios get down here your hologram is busted_ -”

Underneath the singing, there was a sigh over the com and a vague acknowledgement. The hologram persisted, raising his voice as he came to the chorus of the song. He used a vaguely French accent—not one she’d have considered credible, but it might have passed for something _salvageable_ by non-French speakers. Picard might have had something to say about it. Was _That’s Amore_ even a French song?

The real Rios stomped into the room, eyebrows pulled together and lips pursed as he surveyed the scene from the door. His eyes drooped in some resignation. “Deactivate hospitality hologram,” he ordered.

And the hologram fizzled away.

Agnes snapped her head in his direction, still balled up at the end of the couch. “ _What the hell was that?_ ”

“…it’s a long story.”

“It’s not going to _keep doing that_ , is it?”

Rios chuckled—genuinely, for the first time regarding his holograms. “No. _That’s Amore_ protocol only activates on Earth rotation’s Valentines Day. I just… forgot to make sure it didn’t this year.”

“You _forgot_?”

“Usually I remember to deactivate it before it starts singing, but we’ve been otherwise pre-occupied.”

Agnes glanced to where the hologram once stood, before looking back at Rios. “What’s Valentine’s Day?”

Rios blinked. “I’m sorry?”

“What’s Valentines Day?”

“Uh…” he shuffled awkwardly on his feet. “It’s just a day on Earth, supposedly meant to celebrate lover’s commitment to one another.”

Agnes’ shoulders relaxed. She didn’t know very much about Rios, but that he had a hologram dedicated to such a cause like this made him seem a little more organic, a little less _jaded_. Cristobal Rios would also be the anti-Starfleet kind of pilot, but at least he (at some point) had a heart.

“Right… and your hospitality hologram just bursts into song like that for… no reason?”

“…it’s a long story.”

“So you’ve said before. I guess I should be glad he didn’t try to sing Klingon Opera.”

“You didn’t know what Valentines Day is?”

Agnes gaped for a moment, eyes trailing away from the smug smile Rios had on his face. She swallowed. “I mean…”

He rose an eyebrow, arms crossing as he shuffled his stance. Evidently, he was expecting some kind of credible answer from her.

“I mean…” she scoffed, trying to be casual. “What kind of over-rated holiday is Valentines Day, anyway? _Celebrating lover commitment_. Psh.” She waved her arm in a dismissal of the idea.

“It’s not _just_ about that. It’s about _love_.”

 _Love_ , she thought to herself. Fat load of good _love_ had ever done for her.

A look of realisation fell across Cristobal’s eyes, and he glanced down for a moment. Agnes sighed, clambering off the couch to retrieve her PADD.

“Computer, a rose.”

A red flower with a long stalk materialised in his hand—holographic, like many of of the more rudimentary ‘decorations’ of the _La Sirena_. He strode over with a grace she hadn’t expected of him, presenting the rose to her.

“Do me the honour?”

Agnes responded with a puzzled frown. “Honour of what?”

“Being my Valentine.”

An awkward smile fell across her lips. She reached out, carefully picking up the rose from his hands. “We’re… not in love.”

“There are many _types_ of love,” Rios grinned. He held out his other hand—waiting for her to take it. She did, and he began their walk to the door. “Leave the PADD. You called just as I was about to have.”

“You’re inviting me to dinner? We’ve never have communal dinners.”

“Haven’t we? Well. I suppose I’d appreciate the company tonight.”

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece before S1Ep5 released. It's sad for me to say, but I regret this immensely. Star Trek: Picard has shown itself to be hooked on nothing but death and deceit and I can't in good conscience promote that. I guess what I wanted from Picard was a bit of light in a time where our society is Fucked, but evidently the showrunners don't wish to pursue that particular theme of Trek.
> 
> I do not like the Agnes character. I do not respect the Agnes character. And this will probably be the only time I'll have ever written for the Agnes character. Hindsight truly is 20/20.


End file.
